2357 tail lite bulbs or 1157?

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tekslk

tekslk

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Was reading on the web and saw these were recommende for replacing 1157 any opinions they are suppose to be brighter than 1157?
 
This was in a ssdan post. Saved the info for future reference.

Bulbs
Original equipment bulbs on most pre-'72 cars was as follows:

1034: dual-filament park/turn and brake tail. Clear bulb for use with red rear or amber front lens.

1034A or 1034NA: dual-filament park/turn. Amber bulb for use with clear front lens.

1141 or 1073: single-filament bulb. Reversing/backup lights (and single-function—brake-only, turn-only—lights not frequently found on old Mopars).

In the early '70s, the 1034 was replaced by the 1157, the 1073/1141 by the 1156. These 1150-series bulbs put out the same amount of light, but draw slightly more current and last quite a bit longer. When changing from 1034s to 1157s, often it was (and is) necessary to replace the turn signal flasher, because the original would flash too fast if used with 1157s. Nowtimes, it's difficult to find a flasher calibrated for 1034s.

So, what to use for upgrade bulbs? Well first, here's what NOT to use: 2057s! People sometimes assume that because it's a higher number, it's a brighter bulb. No. The difference between 1157 and 2057 is in the "minor" (dim parking or tail) filament. On the 2057, the dim filament produces 2 candlepower. On the 1157, the dim filament produces 3 candlepower. The difference doesn't sound like much, but it's very large as a percentage. Both 1157 and 2057 produce 32 candlepower from the bright (brake or turn) filament.

Though they are spendy, the best bulb you can use in place of 1157 is a 3496. You can get them from your local Honda dealer. Part number is 34906-SL0-A01. It draws the same amount of current as 1157, but is much more efficient. It produces 43 candlepower on the bright (brake or turn) filament, and 3.5 candlepower on the dim (tail or parking) filament. It also has a nickel-plated base that is much more corrosion resistant than the plain brass base of an 1157, so it's less likely to stick in the socket.

The best replacement for 1156, 1141 and 1073 in all applications *except* reversing/backup lights is a 3497. You can get P3497 bulbs from your local Honda dealer, too. Part number is 34903-SF1-A01.

3497 produces 45 candlepower. (Yes, the 6 and the 7 in P3496 and P3497 are reversed from the 6 and the 7 in 1156 and 1157 relative to how many filaments the bulb has. This is not a typo.) The 3496 and 3497 bulbs have a life span about double that of an 1157. It is worth your time, money, and trouble to get the 3496 and 3497 from a Honda dealer rather than a parts store...the parts store items are of much poorer quality and don't last as long.

The best bulb for use in backup/reverse lights is a 796. It is a 35W halogen bulb that produces 62 candlepower, or about double the light of an 1156 and about triple the light of an 1141. The extra wattage is minor (35W vs. 28W, the wires and lenses will not notice or care) and the filament is in the right place. Neither of these compliments can be said of those 50W halogen backup bulbs you see in the parts stores! 50W is wayy too much current draw (100% overload!) for the stock wiring and switch, they produce way too much heat for safety near plastic lenses, and the filament's in the wrong place so the reflector doesn't work correctly with them. The P796s work great, and you finally get to see where you're going when backing at night.

Amber bulbs are a special case. The amber coating "steals" some of the light, so the output is lower. The bright filament inside an 1157A or 1157NA produces 32 candlepower, but what comes through the amber coating is 24 candlepower. Unfortunately, there's no amber equivalent of 3496 for use in park/turn lights that have clear lenses. The next best thing is 2357A or 2357NA, which draws the same current as an 1157 and produces 30 candlepower despite the amber coating. 2357NA (or 2357A), as well as their non-amber 2357 counterparts, are considerably less expensive than P3496, but they lack P3496's anti-corrosion nickel-plated base, and they also lack P3496's Krypton gas fill, so they tend to blacken sooner than other bulbs if used in "bright" mode for prolonged periods (e.g. using a 2357 in brake lamp service). The 2357NA or 2357A works fine in front park/turn service because turn signal service is short and intermittent, which limits bulb blackening and makes overall bulb life acceptable.

Be careful when buying any of these bulbs. A lot of the major parts outlets are switching from name-brand bulbs worth buying to 3rd-world crapola not worth its blister pack. Only one company makes quality 3496s and 3497s, for example, that is Stanley. GE and Sylvania used to supply Stanley-made 3400-series bulbs, but both marketers went to Chinese lookalikes, and then to even cruddier Chinese ones that don't even look right. That's why to buy those particular ones at the Honda store.

The '68-'71 sidemarker lamps can be made about 60% brighter with 3886x bulbs, which also fit directly in place of the 1895s and 57s used in instrument cluster lights that take the metal bayonet-base bulbs.

1972-up sidemarker lights (and a lot of the '66-up instrument cluster lights) take an all-glass wedge-base bulb, which can be upgraded with 2886x bulbs - about 75% brighter than a 194, 60% brighter than a 168.

If your car has the little turn signal indicators mounted on top of the fenders, and one or both of them no longer flash, you can either spend $3.40 apiece at Year One for a replacement bulb with a plain brass base, or you can spend $10.60 and get a 10-pack of 'em with corrosionproof nickel-plated bases.
Click to expand...
 
Let's add this up. I'm 64, been driving since I was 17, and in those 47 years, I'll bet I have NOT replaced a dozen park and tail bulbs. So that's about 1 every 4 years.

All my cars were used, all of 'em came with whatever bulbs were in 'em, and I've never replaced 'em with anything but 1157's

I've never found a bulb "stuck in a socket"

Conclusion:


I won't be giving Honda extra money for light bulbs
 
You don't HAVE to get them from Honda.
Look for the nickle base and a good brand.
I wouldn't trade my 3496's for anything (worth every penny)
Especially since I want to reduce every chance of getting rear ended that I can, so I also replaced the backup lenses (the ones with the clear center) with standard tail/brake lenses and connected them in with the brake/turn signals.
Now I have four nice brake lights and two signal lenses on each side, but it looks stock except for the clear part of the center of what used to be the backup lights.

Love it, and it works great.


67Dart273 said:
Let's add this up. I'm 64, been driving since I was 17, and in those 47 years, I'll bet I have NOT replaced a dozen park and tail bulbs. So that's about 1 every 4 years.

All my cars were used, all of 'em came with whatever bulbs were in 'em, and I've never replaced 'em with anything but 1157's

I've never found a bulb "stuck in a socket"

Conclusion:


I won't be giving Honda extra money for light bulbs
Click to expand...
 
TrailBeast said:
You don't HAVE to get them from Honda.
Look for the nickle base and a good brand.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you do have to get them from Honda if you want the money to be worth spending. The Honda parts pipeline is the only way to get real ones made by Stanley. All the rest -- with or without nickelplate base -- are Chinese junk that doesn't meet the output specs and doesn't last (though I notice that doesn't stop GE, Wagner, Sylvania, etc. from charging top dollar).
 
slantsixdan said:
Yeah, you do have to get them from Honda if you want the money to be worth spending. The Honda parts pipeline is the only way to get real ones made by Stanley. All the rest -- with or without nickelplate base -- are Chinese junk that doesn't meet the output specs and doesn't last (though I notice that doesn't stop GE, Wagner, Sylvania, etc. from charging top dollar).
Click to expand...

You had to tell me that, didn't you? :D
 
And, be careful. The Honda dealer is likely to try to push off some Chinese crap ,on ya too. Insist on the genuine Honda bulbs.
 
when i went to honda to get those bulbs i had no problem getting the genuine ones...they are nice high quality bulb that are much brighter.
 
Revhendo said:
Dan, you ok? Seem a little reserved there tonight....
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Heheh.
redbeard.gif


I think what it is, is that everything that can be said on the subject has been said. It's always the same script: Someone asks about LED bulbs. I explain in detail why they're dangerous and illegal. Someone else says "What about these ones I saw on eBay?". Someone else points to a few companies making halfaѕѕed "LED conversions" for certain vehicles, and then those get explained as probably-unsafe, and then a bunch of people chime in with "but they're cool and it's my car so I can do what I want, haters gonna hate", then 67Dart273 shocks us all with the breaking news that he doesn't like me, then seven more pages of the same.

I figured let's just skip it and jump directly to the part where we go for beers afterward.
 
slantsixdan said:
Heheh.
redbeard.gif


I think what it is, is that everything that can be said on the subject has been said. It's always the same script: Someone asks about LED bulbs. I explain in detail why they're dangerous and illegal. Someone else says "What about these ones I saw on eBay?". Someone else points to a few companies making halfaѕѕed "LED conversions" for certain vehicles, and then those get explained as probably-unsafe, and then a bunch of people chime in with "but they're cool and it's my car so I can do what I want, haters gonna hate", then 67Dart273 shocks us all with the breaking news that he doesn't like me, then seven more pages of the same.

I figured let's just skip it and jump directly to the part where we go for beers afterward.
Click to expand...

:cheers::D:D:D
 
Can't think of anywhere in the dash where the Honda bulbs would fit/work. Maybe you're asking if LED bulbs are OK in the dash? Yeah, feel free to play with LEDs in any non-safety-critical lights (dome light, instrument panel lights, etc.). You may or may not like the results, but they won't endanger anyone the way they do in exterior (safety) lights.
 
I've been using 1157's for years and find they work just fine as they were intended to do so. Why reinvent the wheel when you don't need to?
 
Well I went to the honda dealership today and bought 34906-SL0-A01 It was 13 bucks with tax put them in and boy what a diffrence, thanks dan and everyone it was money well spent.
 
cudajim said:
I've been using 1157's for years and find they work just fine as they were intended to do so. Why reinvent the wheel when you don't need to?
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No wheels being reinvented -- just relatively dim old brake lights being made brighter. I can think of a bunch of reasons why it's a good idea: our cars are among the few left on the road that don't have the central 3rd brake light (though obviously retrofits are possible). Today's traffic is a lot more dense than when our cars were new. Today's drivers are a lot more distracted, too -- talking on the phone, texting, putting on DVDs for the kids, futzing with the stereo, etc. Crash repair parts for our cars are a lot harder to get than they were back in the day.
 
tekslk said:
Well I went to the honda dealership today and bought 34906-SL0-A01 It was 13 bucks with tax put them in and boy what a diffrence, thanks dan and everyone it was money well spent.
Click to expand...

Glad to help out. I wish Honda weren't such a bunch of moneygrubbers on these bulbs. The manufacturer (Stanley) abruptly stopped all aftermarket sales of the bulb in 2009 or so. No explanation was given. Up until then, all the major marketers (Sylvania, GE, Wagner, Candlepower...) were selling the Stanley bulbs. After Stanley cut everyone off except Honda, the aftermarket went to cheap and nasty Chinese junk. :-(
 
Will the "Honda" bulbs fit in the early A bodies? 1966 barracuda? SOrry not trying to steal a thread...just curious.

Aloha and Mahalo!
 
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